Tourist Attractions

Tourist attractions in the Manchester area.

• Barton Arcade
  Deansgate, City Centre
  Beautifully restored Victorian glass arcade with shops and offices. Free entrance
  Location: Between Deansgate and St Ann's Square
  
  

• Central Reference Library
  St Peters Square,
  Circular neo-classical building with magnificent reading room.  Books on every subject, including technical subjects, law, local history, foreign languages.  Newspaper and magazine rchives, commercial library with European information.  Frequent exhibitions of local interest and the Library Theatre and cafe in the basement.  Free entrance.
  Location: City Centre, overlooking St Peters Square
  
  

• Dunham Massey
  Altrincham WA14 4J
  (0161) 941 1025
  Georgian House set in 101 hectare wooded deer park.  Library, stables, moat, working mill, orangery, garden, shrubs, rare, late-flowering azaleas.  Free entrance to the park.
  Location: 9 and a half miles south west of central Manchester.
  
  

• Heaton Park
  (0161) 773 1085
  600 acre park with boating lake, pets corner,  golf course, working tram.  Neo-classical Heaton Hall is the venue for music events. Concerts and events held in the park during the summer.  Free entrance.
  Location:  Four miles north of central Manchester.  Accessible via Metrolink.
  
  

• Hollingworth Lake Country Park
  Rakewood Road, Littleborough, Rochdale
  (01706) 373421
  Lake with watersports facilities. Two and a quarter mile walk around the lake, waterfowl, view of Pennines and M62 motorway.  Free entrance
  Location: 13 miles north west of central Manchester
  
  

• Imperial War Museum
  Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1TZ
  Tel: +44 (0)870 220 3435
  The Museum, situated on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford, offers people of all ages thought-provoking displays and direct access to the Museum's collections to gain a greater understanding of the enormous impact of war on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Imperial War Museum North opens in Trafford on 5 July 2002, admission free. The Museum will be closed to the public for the Royal Opening on 24 July 2002.
  Opening times: Mon - Sun 10am - 6pm
  Admission: free
  
  

• Jodrell Bank Science Centre and Arboretum
  Macclesfield, Cheshire
  (01477) 571339
  Displays on astronomy and the universe with activities for children.
  Location: 16 miles south of Manchester
  
  
• The Lowry
  Pier 8, Salford Quays, M2 2BH
  Tel: +44 (0)161 876 2000
  VM Lowry
  The Lowry is unlike anything you will have seen before, one look at the building and it is easy to see that this is something else. But that's only the half of it.
  It's the idea behind the Lowry that sets it apart. There are art galleries of course, but there is also theatre, opera and ballet. Also theres cabaret, comedy and jazz. There are shops and restaurants. And there is Artworks, which really is a world apart. No matter how many times you go, twice a day, twice a year, there will always be something different. The Lowry is there to be discovered, explored and enjoyed. It is there for everyone and much of it is free. The Lowry has transformed Salford Quays. Come and see for yourself. It's easy to access and worth a look.
  
  The building captures that unusual combination of functionality and beauty, as water and light shimmer across stainless steel and glass. But it is inside The Lowry that the drama unfolds with not one, but two theaters. Back to Back, each with its own unique atmosphere. Stroll around the Promenade and Galleries. Add this to the fun of Artworks where you can interact with the exhibits on a creative journey. Click to be taken to our Directions & Contact details, or to learn more about the Lowry Galleria Development
  Opening times: 9:30am-Midnight
  
  Admission: Free/Other Prices may vary
  
  

• Lyme Park
  Disley, Stockport SK12 2NX
  Phone (01663) 762023/766492 Fax: (01663) 765035
  House dates from the middle ages, featured in BBC "Pride and Prejudice".  Conservatory, Deer park, Dutch garden, lake, extensive walks, magnificent views over Cheshire and Manchester.  National Trust/Stockport MBC
  Location: 13 miles south east of central Manchester

  
  
  

• John Rylands Library
  150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 (City Centre)
  (0161) 834 5453
  Magnificent neo-Gothic building with a large collection of books and manuscripts.  Part of Manchester University.  Exhibitions and guided tours.  Free entrance.
  Location: In the City Centre, on Deansgate, not far from St Ann's Square

  
  
  

• Manchester Art Gallery
  Mosley St, Princess St, Manchester.
  Tel: +44 (0)161 235 8888
  www.manchestergalleries.org
  The Manchester Art Gallery re-opens this weekend after a £35 million renovation.
  
  The gallery space has doubled and now displays a permanent collection which includes Henry Moore's Mother and Child and works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Gainsborough, Turner, Francis Bacon Pisssaro and Lucien Freud.
  
  A gallery for special exhibitions is a new addition and it opens with Inhale / Exhale by Michael Craig-Martin in which huge representations of everyday objects are painted on the wall as if thrown from a canvas opposite.
  
  The Gallery re-opens Saturday May 25. Michael Craig Martin's Inhale/Exhale is on show until June 30.
  Opening times: 10am-5pm
  
  Admission: free

  
  
  

• Manchester Airport Aviation Viewing Park
  Manchester Airport, Manchester, M90  1QX
  See planes taking off and landing from near the end of the runway. Shop with aviation merchandise.
  Location: About one mile from the main terminals, off the A538, near M56 motorway junction.

  
  
  

• Manchester Cathedral
  Victoria Street, Manchester M3
  (0161) 833 2220
  Restored and extended in Victorian times, but with visible remains of medieval church.  Side chapels, carvings, bookshop, with accounts of 1940 and 1996 bomb damage.  Free entrance.
  Location:  City Centre, overlooking the river Irwell, between St Ann's Square and Victoria Station.

  
  
  

• The Portico Library and Gallery
  Mosley Street
  Private subscription library in  Georgian neo-Classical building.  Exhibitions by local artists.  Free entrance.
  Location: City Centre, on Mosley Street

  
  
  

• Quarry Bank Mill & Styal Country Park
  Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 4LA
  Restored working cotton Mill. Exhibits on cotton industry, millworkers, apprentices, cottages.  Pleasant walks along wooded River Bollin valley.
  Location: 10 miles south of central Manchester
  Accessible by train to Styal
  
  
  
• Salford Museum and Art Gallery
  Peel Park, Salford M5
  Collections of paintings and sculpture, old masters, contemporary art.  Salford's most famous artist LS Lowry.  Library has local history section photographic collections.  Free entrance.
  Location: 1 mile west of Manchester City Centre, next to Salford University

  
  
  

• The Shambles
  Sinclair's Oyster House and
  The Old Wellington Inn
  (pubs).  One remaining survival of the medieval centre of Manchester demolished in 1998 and rebuilt in a new location next to the Cathedral.
  Free entrance.
  Location: In the City Centre, next to the Cathedral, formerly in Shambles Square

  
  
  

• Tatton Park
  Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN
  Infoline: (01565) 750250
  Main Switchboard: (01565) 654822
  Fax: (01565) 650179
  Magnificent park, neo-Classical mansion house, gardens (including Japanese Garden), Old Hall, working 1930's farm, boating lake, museum, childrens play area, shops, restaurant.  One of England's greatest country estates.  Specil shows and events throughout the year.  Run by Cheshire County Council on behalf of the National Trust.
  A "Must-See" attraction.
  Location: 12 miles south west of central Manchester

  
  
  

• Town Hall, Manchester
  Albert Square, Manchester, M60 2LA
  (0161) 234 5000
  Neo-Gothic palatial building, home of Manchester City Council www.manchester.gov.uk.  Designed by AlfredWaterhouse, and completed in 1873.  Sculptures, stained glass window, paintings, carved stone.  Magnificent banquet hall with painted murals depicting the history of Manchester.  Venue for many events throughout the year.  Free entrance.
  Location: In the City Centre overlooking Albert Square

  
  
  

• Urbis
  Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, M4 3BG
  Tel: +44 (0)161 907 9099
  http://www.urbis.org.uk/
  Welcome to Urbis - a new kind of museum exploring life in different cities of the world. Urbis is a new, shimmering, glass building rising high above Manchester. Inside, state-of-the-art interactive displays and exhibits lead you through an inspirational journey exploring life in different cities of the world, focusing especially on Manchester, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, Singapore, Paris and Tokyo. Your our visit to Urbis begins with a one-minute sky glide in The Glass Elevator. With the city as backdrop, you then explore, at your own pace, four cascading themed floors of fascinating, intriguing and entertaining exhibits: Arrive, Change, Order and Explore.
  
  Opening times: 10am-6pm
  
  
  Admission: Adults £5, Concessions: £3.50, Children £3.50, Children under 8: Free, Family Passes Available

  
  
  

• Viewpoint Photography Gallery
  The Old Fire Station, The Crescent, Salford M6
  (0161) 737 1040
  Regular photography exhibitions in this attractive converted building.  Free entrance.
  Location: 1 mile west of Manchester City Centre, opposite Salford University